Folding and sealing mechanism for wrapping machines



April 27, 1954 A. A. KOTTMANN 2,676,445

R WRAPPING MACHINES FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM F0 10 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Oct. 6. 1950 BY g 42M ATTORNEYS 2,676,445 R WRAPPING MACHINES April 27, 1954 A. A. KOTTMANN FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM F0 10 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Oct. 6, 1950 r %z 7 ATTORNEYS April 27. 1954 A. A. KOTTMANN FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHIN 1O Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Oct. 6, 1950 INVENTOR ARTHUR A. KOTTMANN ATTORNEYS 2,676,445 APPING MACHINES April 27, 1954 A. A. KOTTMANN FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM FOR WR 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed Oct. 6, 1950 INVENTOR /ARTHUR A. KOTTMANN ZOWT Z ATTORNEYS April 27, 1 A. A. KOTTMANN FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHINES l0 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Oct. 6, 1950 N3 7 1 1111211 N. N 1} NQEH WHL INVENTOR ATTORNEY ARTHUR A. KOTTMAN N 3 0 MY m 1:4 Em mm A. $6 an 8N Q9 k n 6% N 0mm own mmm Nmm April 27, 1 A. A. KOTTMANN FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHINES l0 Sheets-Sheet 6 Original Filed Oct. 6, 1950 INVENTOR ARTHUR A. KOTTMANN Md 8% w 3% I wR wmn I I lllll'l'l. I I I l I I I I I I I I I I i "\III' I I S &- Q E R 00% MN 3% C6 8N QQM April 27. 1 A. A. KOTTMANN FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHINES l0 Sheets-Sheet '7 Original Filed Oct. 6, 1950 INVENTOR ARTHUR A. KOTTMANN f z ATTORNEYS FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPIN l0 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Oct. 6, 1950 v l hunuul INVENTOR ARTHUR A. KOTTMANN BY @zuw 1 7/4:

ATTORNEYS;

April 27, 1954 A. A. KOTTMANN FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHINES 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 Original Filed Oct. 6, 1950 Mm BI W mm fiH A m L? Q m m m v K T Nbv m A. r n O R \\\\W///I/M/V///ll| UH W B wm mm b? Nwfi m6 mm .HbN mm? w wv Maw 1 Ev $3 l. h. I H- l M. J r llllllll 1 LVFIIILIII L -Hflll| llllll LII I i 3% m IF on km ow & NM wm Q E Q N\ FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHINE Original Filed 001;. 6, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet l0 9 Q 3w 3 WW Fm Na I 1 l 3, 3a I I I, .hiui. uun lnunnuu l uhnuun lflnnwmmnu. I- k s 1 Q3 Nmv g m D #9 m F n /.T a u a Sh m3 n n m 1 8 W \mv Wu? mm r 8% we HUN oh N a J 4 \s h INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 27, 1954 NITE'D FOLDING AND SEALING MECHANISM FOR WRAPPING MACHINES Original application to American Machine '(Pctober 6, 1950, Serial No.

188,686. Divided and this application Februany 28, 1952,

12 Claims.

This invention relates to wrapping machines of the type in which the leading end of a web of wrapping material is applied to an article to be wrapped as the article is moved from a feed runway onto an elevator, and in which the web is wound about the article and folded against the ends of the article during movement of the elevator, transfer of the articles from the elevator to a discharge runway, and movement along the said discharge runway, and particularly to the final folding and sealing mechanism of the machine, the present application being a division of my copending application Serial No. 188,686, filed Gctober 6, 1950.

In the machine of the present invention the articles, with a thermoplastic coated wrapper wound around them, are passed from an elevator into a folding and sealing channel where the end folds are formed in the wrapper and the thermoplastic coating of the overlapping portions of the wrapper are fused and adhered together. The wrapped packages then pass into a cooling section where the fused coatings are solidified to complete the sealing of the package.

One object of the invention is to protect the article and wrapper feeding mechanism that is pos ioned beneath the sealing channel from the generated in the sealing channel.

A further object is to provide a folding and sealii channel so constructed that the operations can be viewed by the operator and having parts movable to permit quick access for removal of improperly positioned or improperly wrapped articles.

A further object is to provide the discharge runway with article moving conveyors and guides which maintain the articles in proper position during their passage through the runway.

A. further object is to mount all guides and conveyors on parallel side rails which are adjustable to accommodate articles of different sizes and to support the adjustable side rails independently of their adjusting screws so that the screws are not flexed by the weight of the conveyors and guides.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a wrapping ma.- chine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan .view of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the wrapping machine of the present invention in tandem with a bread slicing machine;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic side elevation show- Serial No. 273,942

ing the article moving conveyors and the driving mechanism therefor;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the web pull-out mechanism which is operated prior to each web cut-01f to draw out enough of the web for engagement with the next article to be wrapped;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan View of the rear half of the folding and sealing portion of the machine;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the discharge conveyor;

Fig. 7a is a transverse section taken on the line indicated at la-la in Fig. '7

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line indicated at c s in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line indicated at S-9 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the folder plates at one side of the discharge runway;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the folder plates shown in Fig. 10;

12 is a section taken at l2-l2 in Fig. ll;

Fig. 13 is a section taken on the line indicated at Nt -l3 in Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view showing the manner in which the top folder plate acts upon the wrapper web;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary plan view showing the front half of the bed of the folding and sealing section of the discharge runway;

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on the line indicated at iii-l6 in Fig. 15;

Fig. 17 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on the line indicated at lL-ll in Fig. 15;

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section taken on the line indicated at l8l8 in Fig. 15;

Fig. 19 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section taken on the line indicated at lE-li in Fig. 15

Fig. 20 is a fragmentary plan view of the front half of the bed portion of the cooling section ,of the discharge runway;

Fig. 21 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section taken on the line indicated at El-Z'l in Fig. 20.;

Fig. 22 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on the line indicated at 22-22 in Fig. 21;

Fig. 23 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on the line indicated at 23-23 in Fig. 21;

on the line indicated Fig. 24 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line indicated at 2 ;-dd in Fig. 21;

Fig. 25 is a vertical transverse section through the top portion of the machine taken on the line indicated at 25-25 in Figs. 1 and 27, and showing the side rail adjusting mechanism in front elevation;

Fig. 26 is a vertical section taken on the line indicated at 26-46 in Fig. 25;

Fig. 27 is a side elevation of the article holddown;

Fig. 28 is a fragmentary plan view showing one of the joints of the hold-down bar viewed as indicated at 28-28 in Fig. 2'7;

Fig. 29 is a sectional view showing the yielding lock for the hold-down actuator; and

Fig. 30 is a fragmentary plan view showing the detachable spring latch by which the holddown is attached to its supporting arms viewed as indicated at 3U-3ll in Fig. 27.

In the wrapping machine of the present invention the articles to be wrapped are delivered to the wrapping mechanism by means of an endless pusher flight conveyor A which delivers to a vertically swinging elevator or transfer platform B. The infeed conveyor A delivers the articles to be wrapped onto the elevator 13 and in passing from the conveyor A to the elevator 13 the articles engage with the leading end of a web of wrapping material which is suspended from a drape table C over which the wrapping material is fed.

The feed conveyor A is mounted in an inclined position and delivers the articles from its upper end to the elevator B which moves from an inclined receiving position in alinement with the conveyor A to an upper horizontal position in alinement with a discharge runway which includes a folding and heating section D and a cooling section E to complete the wrapping of the article and seal the folds of the wrapper.

The wrapping machine may be conveniently operated in tandem with a bread slicing machine such as the bread slicing machine F shown dia grammatically in Fig. 3, the slicing machine having a delivery conveyor G which delivers the sliced loaves to the infeed conveyor A of the wrapping machine by means of a suitable shuttle mechanism H interposed between the conveyors G and A.

A web of wrapping material is fed to the drape table C from a reel rack K through a tension controlled web feed mechanism L. During each wrapping cycle the leading end of the web of wrapping material is suspended between the delivery end of the feed conveyor A and the elevator B where it is engaged by the article to be wrapped and clamped between the article and elevator so that a pull is exerted on the web to create tension therein and cause actuation of the feed mechanism to supply the length of web needed for wrapping the article.

The article being wrapped is discharged from the elevator and moved through the folding and sealing sections of the discharge runway by means of an overhead endless pusher conveyor M. The bottom of the cooling section E is formed by an endless belt N and the sides by two endless belts P which grip and travel with the wrapped article during cooling so that lapping portions of the wrapper are held against relative movement while the wax or other adhesive is setting.

The feed conveyor A is intermittently driven with a dwell during upward movement of the elevator 13 and the elevator is reciprocated with a dwell at its upper and lower limits of movement. The overhead pusher conveyor M and conveyors N and P are continuously driven.

The machine has a frame I, the top of which is horizontal to provide a support for the article discharge runway.

The machine is driven by an electric motor 2 which continuously drives a main cam shaft 3 and a feed conveyor driving shaft 4 through a sprocket chain 5. A shaft 6 which drives the shuttle mechanism H is driven from the shaft 4 through a sprocket chain 1. The overhead pusher conveyor M is driven from the shaft 3 through a sprocket chain 8 and a sprocket 9 that operates the web feed mechanism L'is driven from the shaft 3 through a sprocket chain iii. The belt N is driven by the sprocket chain iii through gears II and the belts P are driven by the endless pusher conveyor M through bevel gears l2. When the wrapping machine is operated in tandem with the slicing machine F the slicing machine and its discharge conveyor G are driven from the shaft 6 by a sprocket chain it.

In order to avoid slack between the article being wrapped and the web feed mechanism and in order to reduce slack and obtain more uniform control of the web feed to articles varying in height, the drape table C is adjustably mounted so that its upper end can be positioned at different distances above the discharge end of the infeed conveyor A so as to obtain a more direct pull on the paper and a better regulation of the web feed and also to avoid delivery of an excess amount of wrapping material to low articles.

The table C, which is mounted directly above the conveyor A. is pivotally and slidably supported at its lower end on a bracket l5 carried by the frame of the machine, and is adjustably supported intermediate its ends upon brackets i8 attached to the top portions of the frame l, the table adjusting mechanism being so designed that an operating connection between the web cut-off mechanism carried by the main frame and paper clamping mechanism carried by the table C is not disturbed by the adjustment.

The machine is so designed that all manually operable adjusting and controlling elements are mounted on the front side of the machine in positions conveniently accessible to an operator standing at the front of the machine. A hand lever 11 mounted on the front end of the frame controls the operation of the feed conveyor A and the slicing machine F and conveyor G when the slicer is mounted in tandem with the wrapping machine. A handwheel 18 adjacent the rear end of the machine controls the speed of operation of the machine. A handwheel l9 associated with a dial 2% may be adjusted to control the amount of wrapper web drawn out from the drape table prior to the web cut-off to vary the length of the end of the web depending from the upper end of the drape table C and vary the amount of underlap of the paper at the bottom of the article being wrapped. A handwheel 2i associated with a dial 22 may be adjusted to control the tightness with which the paper is wrapped about an article. Heater control elements 23 are mounted on the top portion of the frame forwardly of the tight-loose wrap control. Adjacent the rear end of the machine a handwheel 24 is provided which operates adjusting screws for adjusting the width of the discharge channel of the machine and simultaneously adjusting other parts of the machine for accommodating articles of different widths.

The feed conveyor A is provided with a transversely fiat bed 25 over which the articles to be wrapped are pushed by flights 26 which are carried by endless sprocket chains 2? that run over pairs of sprockets 28 and 29 at the delivery and receiving ends of the bed 25. The pairs of sprockets 28 and 29 are preferably mounted in fixed positions and the chains 27 are tensioned by means of adjustable sprockets 39 below the sprockets as at the forward end of the frame.

The conveyor A is driven intermittently and the chains 2? are moved a distance corresponding to the space between successive flights 26 on each actuation, the driving mechanism being so adjusted that the conveyor stops with a flight 26 in substantially vertical position at the discharge end of the conveyor, in which position the article being pushed by the flight at the discharge end of the conveyor has been transferred from the bed 25 to the elevator B, and the flight 25 at the discharge end of the conveyor remains stationary during the initial upward movement of the ele vator and does not interfere with the movement of the article with the elevator.

The infeed conveyor A is intermittently driven from the shaft 4 through a Geneva type gearing which includes a drive wheel 44 fixed to the shaft t and having two driving pins in the form of rollers 45 which are diametrically opposite each other and at equal distances from the axis of the shaft s. The rollers i5 engage in radial slots at in a Geneva gear 137 to which is attached a spur gear it which meshes with a gear 39 on the shaft of the sprockets 28. The gear 4'! is provided with four radial slots 46 and is given a quarter turn upon each half revolution of the shaft l. The gear il is provided with peripheral recesses 56 intermediate the slots 46 which are of arcuate contour to receive cylindrical locking segments 55 carried by the drive Wheel 44 to lock the gear 4'! against turning movements during intervals between actuations thereof by the pins 45.

The sprocket 42 on the shaft 4 is twice the diameter of the sprocket ll on the shaft 3 so that the shaft t rotates at half the speed of the shaft 3. The shaft 3 rotates once during each cycle of operation of the machine and the shaft :3 makes a one-half revolution during each cycle of operation.

The gears 43 and '49 are so proportioned that a movement is imparted to the infeed conveyor A to move the flights a distance exactly equal to the length of the space between them upon each actuation of the conveyor, and the infeed conveyor has one movement during each wrapping cycle to deliver an article to the elevator B each time that the elevator is lowered to a position in alinement with the conveyor.

The article feed conveyor A has parallel side guide rails 72 that are connected for simultaneous adjustment by transverse screw shafts it and ii. The shafts M and T! are driven by the handwheel 24 through a sprocket chain it.

The sliced loaves of bread or other articles to be wrapped are delivered from the feed conveyor A to a platform H15 on the elevator B, the platform iiiii being attached to the forward ends of elongated supporting arms I 06 that are connected at their rear ends by pivots I 07 to the rocker arms It which provide a movable support to which the elevator is pivoted. The arms Hi5 are connected to the upper ends of the rocker arms 6 I ii and the lower ends of the arms 14 are attached to a horizontal rock shaft I08 journaled in the side members of the frame. During operation of the machine the elevator platform moves from a lower inclined position in alinement with the bed 25 of the infeed conveyor to an upper horizontal position in alinement with the discharge runway. The elevator dwells in its lowermost position until an article is transferred thereto by the infeed conveyor, and moves upwardly during the dwell of the infeed conveyor to deliver the loaf to the discharge runway. The elevator has intermittent oscillating movement timed with respect to the movement of the infeed conveyor iiights 26 so that the elevator is positioned to receive articles pushed by the flights 26 during each advancing movement of the feed conveyor.

During the upward movement of the elevator the arms i i are rocked rearwardly to cause the forward end of the elevator on which the article being wrapped is supported to be moved away from the infeed conveyor flight and away from the end of the drape table C so that tension is maintained on the wrapper web and engagement of articles being wrapped with parts of the paper supporting members and with the discharge runway is prevented. Springs I09 attached at their rear ends to the rocker arms l4 and at their forward ends to the frame of the machine serve to yieldably urge the elevator toward its forward position.

The machine frame has a horizontal crossbar us the rear end thereof upon which is mounted a bearing bracket H I. The bracket 5 i 5 supports a pivot H2 upon which is mounted a lever l i3 which extends forwardly from the pivot H2. The forward end of the lever H3 is pivotally connected to the lower ends of links H4, and the upper ends of the links H4 are pivotally connected to the elevator.

As shown in Fig. 5, the drape table C is provided with a pair of web guiding rollers its and at the rear end thereof. While the elevator is in its uppermost position and before the wrapper strip is severed the web is advanced sufficiently to provide enough of the leading end of the web beyond the roller I34 to extend into the space between the elevator platform and bed 25 of the infeed conveyor when the elevator platform is returned to its lowermost position. the infeed conveyor moves the article to be wrapped across the gap between the bed 25 and the platform its the article is pushed into the depending end of the wrapper web and the p01 tion of the web depending below the elevator platform is drawn onto the platform between the bottom of the article and the surface of the platform.

In order to clamp the leading end of the web to the article being wrapped, a follower 53:": is provided on the elevator platform which is mounted to move forwardly and rearwardly on the platform. The forward article engaging end of the follower I36 is attached to a rearwardly extending guide bar l3! and extends transversely across the elevator platform and slides rearwardly on the platform as an article is pushed onto the platform by a flight 26.

As the article to be wrapped is transferred to the elevator platform from the bed 25 the wrapper web is folded against the ends of the article by means of tucker plates I48 which engage with the opposite edge portions of the .web to fold the side edge portions of the web over the ends of the article during movement of the article onto the elevator. The tucker plates I48 are mounted for lateral swinging movements and are so operated that they close upon the ends of the article being wrapped during movement of the article onto the elevator.

When the article to be wrapped is pushed by a flight 26 onto the elevator platform I it engages the leading end of the wrapper web that is suspended from the roller I34, clamps the web against the follower I36 and drags the end thereof over the forward edge of the platform I05 and into engagement with its bottom. At the same time the tuckers I48 fold the opposite side portions of the web against the ends of the article. During upward movement of the elevator the web is wound over the top and down the front of the article, being guided by the roller I35 as shown in Fig. 5.

As shown in Fig. '7, the elevator platform I05 is alined with the discharge runway D when the elevator is in its uppermost position, and the article on the elevator is moved from the elevator platform onto the discharge runway by means of the endless conveyor M which has pusher plates 2l5 carried by arms 2!! that are suspended from endless sprocket chains 2I2 mounted above and parallel to the discharge runway. The sprocket chains 212 run over rear sprockets 2l3 that are positioned directly above the elevator, the sprockets 2|3 being attached to a horizontal cross shaft 2 14 that is driven from the cam shaft 3 by the sprocket chain 8. The endless pusher conveyor M above the discharge runway is thus continuously driven during the operation of the machine and the movement of the pushers is timed with respect to the operation of the elevator so as to discharge each article from the elevator to the discharge runway during the dwell of the elevator in its uppermost position.

At the end of the discharge runway, immediately adjacent the elevator, a paper feed roller 2E5 is provided against which the rollers 176 on the elevator are pressed by the springs we when the elevator is in its uppermost position and which may be driven during a portion of the movement of the article from the elevator to the discharge runway to regulate the tightness of the wrapper. When the elevator is in its uppermost position, a shear bar 118 carried by the elevator below the roller H6 is in position to coact with a movable knife blade 216 carried by swinging arms 2H to sever the web.

In order to feed enough of the ,wrapper web past the drape table C prior to severance of the web to cause the leading end of the web to be draped across the upper end of the bed 25 of the feed conveyor and to regulate the feed to cause the web to extend below the bed the distance required to provide the desired underlap beneath the article when the web is clamped thereto on the elevator, means is provided for automatically causing the desired length of paper to be fed past the upper end of the drape table prior to severing the web. The web feed is controlled to supply the drape by means of a tension applying roller 254 that is supported in horizontal position between the upper ends of two curved arms 255 which are positioned immediately within the side members of the machine frame I in the space between the side members and the conveyor A, elevator B and drape table C. The roller 254 is normally supported forwardly of the rear edge of the discharge runway so as to be clear of the paper web when it is drawn upwardly to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5. The lower ends of the arms 255 are fixed to a transverse rock shaft 256 that is journaled in the side frame members. At the end thereof adjacent the front of the machine, the shaft 256 has a downwardly projecting arm 25? that is connected by a link 258 to an adjustable lever arm 259 that is slidably mounted in a lever body 255 that is attached to a horizontal shaft 251.

The lever body 260 is provided with a guide portion 254 in which the extension 259 is slidably mounted, and the lever is oscillated once during each cycle of the machine by means of a cam 255 on the shaft 3 that has a groove 255 to receive a roller 25! mounted at the upper end of the lever 265. The lever extension 259 is provided with rack teeth 2% that engage with a pinion 25s that is attached to the tubular shaft 262. The cam 265 actuates the lever 260 to swing the arm 25? rearwardly and move the tension applying roiler 254 rearwardly and downwardly prior to the severance of the web. The pull exerted by the roller 254 on the web actuates the tension sensitive control of the feed mechanism L to cause the web to be fed toward the wrapping mechanism to supply the length of web necessary to form the drape for the next article to be wrapped. The length of web so advanced is regulated by adjustment of the lever arm 259, which can be extended or retracted by means of the pinion 269 to increase or decrease the throw of the roller 254.

In order to enable the articles to be transferred from the elevator to the discharge runway by means of the continuously driven overhead conveyor M which moves the articles at the desired speed through the folding and sealing channels, means is provided for accelerating the movement of the pushers 2 it during their travel across the elevator platform and then decelerating their movement in order to discharge the article on the platform during the small portion of the wrapping cycle in which the platform is alined with the discharge runway, and then moving the articles below normal speed during a portion of their travel through the folding channel. These accelerating and decelerating movements are caused by imparting a forward swinging movement to the pusher supporting arms 2 l l past their normal position during their engagement with the article on the elevator platform followed by a rearward swinging movement back to normal position. The arms 2!! have short end portions 380 adjacent the chains 2 l2 that extend at substantially right angles thereto, the end portions 380 being connected to the chains 2 [2 by pivots 38L The arms 2| I are arranged in pairs which are transversely alined, the transversely alined arms 2H being attached to the front and rear chains M2 and being disposed upon the inner sides of the chains 2I2.

As shown in Fig. 8, each of the sprockets 213 has an elongated hub 382 that is slidably keyed to the driven cross shaft 2M. The elongated hubs 382 provide support for collars 383 which are attached to the side rails I58 of the discharge runway. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the chains 2i2 run over front sprockets 584 on alined stub shafts 385 that are mounted on the guide rails 153.

The lower run of each of the sprocket chains H2 is guided in a slot between superposed bars 286 and 38'! attached to the inner face of a longitudinal supporting bar 388 that is attached to a side rail I58 and that has a groove 389 along its inner face to provide clearance for the chains. Spaced inwardly from each of the chain guide bars 386 and 381 there is a cam rail 39%] that has an outwardly facing groove that receives rollers 392 mounted on the pusher arms at the bends thereof. The cam rail has an enlarged rear end portion 393 that is supported on. the shaft 2 Id. The forward ends of the cam rails set are supported by brackets 39d attached to the bars 388 and the rear ends of the rails are connected to the bars 388 by bolts 395 passing through spacer sleeves 396 interposed between the bars 383 and rails 390. The cam rails 39d terminate near the front sprockets 38d allowing the arms ZII to hang freely from the sprocket chains during their passage from the lower run to the upper so that they are swung by gravity into engagement with pins 398 projecting inwardly from sprocket chains 2I2. During their passage along the upper run of the conveyor, the chains 2|? are supported on guide rails 39? Hold-down bars are suitably attached to the side rails I58 overlie the chains 2I2 adjacent the rear sprockets BIS. At the rear end of he cam rails the grooves Sill extend upwardly around the rear side of the drive shaft ZIES to guide the pusher arms during their downward movement toward article engaging position, the rear end portion of the cam rail having an inclined portion 39? to guide the rollers upwardly into the groove 382.

The portion of the cam groove i dl below and to the rear of the shaft 2 I4 is deflected upwardly at 406 toward the shaft 2M, to swing the pusher arms 2| I rear-wardly and bring them to substantially vertical position over the rear edge of the elevator platform. During movement of the pusher plates 2 I ll across the elevator platform the arms 2%! are swung forwardly past their normal position to increase the speed of the pusher plates and effect a rapid transfer of the article being wrapped to the discharge runway after which the arms are swung rearwardly to their normal position which results in a reduction of speed of the article in the entrance end of the folding section. The pusher arms 2i I are first swung rearwardly by the shifting of the arm supporting rollers 3% to positions above the chains 2 I2 in upwardly deflected portions tee of the cam grooves 39L The forward swinging movement of the arms is accomplished by shifting the rollers 392 to positions below the chain and the rearward swinging movement of the arms is effected by returning the rollers 332 to positions in horizontal alinement with the sprocket chains 2 E2, the rates of acceleration and deceleration being dependent upon the relative inclinations of the chain guides and cam gXOOVGS.

The conveyor chains 2 I? are driven at a speed such that they move a distance corresponding to re distance between successive pusher arms 2 ll during each wrapping cycle. By means of the cam grooves and chain guides the pushers Eli! are caused to move across the elevator platform at a speed greater than the speed of the conveyor chains to transfer the article from the elevator during the small portion of the wrapping cycle rat the platform dwells in alinement with the discharge runway. The accelerated movement of the arms 2H is followed by a decelerated movement which causes the article to move relatively slowly in the discharge runway until the arms iill resume their normal position. This slow movement is advantageous in that it insures proper engagement. of the bottom fold of the wrapping paper with the slots in the folding 10 channel and causes the folds of the manner to be effectively heated and sealed in the folding channel. The elevator discharging mechanism is claimed in the application of Edward G. Schrage, Serial No. 188,791, filed October 6, 1950.

As the elevator moves upwardly the wrapper web is wound over the top: of the article and projects horizontally past the ends of the article. As the elevator approaches its uppermost position the ends of the wrapper projecting past the artiole at the top thereof are engaged by vertical folder plates tit that fold these projecting ends down against the ends of the article as shown in Fig. 14.

The top end folder plates Mil are preferably ,rovided with outwardly projecting flanges all along their lower edges to provide rounded corners for engagement with the wrapper web. Above the flanges ll i the folder plates may be provided with windows H2 which enable the operator to more quickly detect wrinkles or other defects in the wrap. Forwardly of the top end folder plate 4H3 and in alinement therewith are bottom end folder plates G l 3 that engage with the portions of the web projecting past opposite ends of the article at the bottom thereof to fold these portions upwardly against the ends of the article, each of the folder plates H3 being provided with an inclined slot 6 I 3 extending upwardly and rearwardly from its bottom edge to receive the folds of the wrapper that project outwardly from the ends of the article at its bottom and to guide the same upwardly and against the ends of the article.

The top end folder plates 4I0 are supported by longitudinal bars 4I5 that are attached at their forward ends by bolts M6 to the folder plates M3 and to the bars 555 by bolts M1. The folder plates 410 are adjustable on the longitudinal bars M5 by means of transversely extending slots M8 in top flanges M9 of the plates through which the attaching bolts 4i! extend. Each of the folder plates M3 is connected at its forward end by a vertical hinge 429 to a bracket l'ZI attached to the side rails I58. The hinges Q20 permit the folder plates to be swung outwardly to afford access to the elevator and to the entrance end of the discharge runway.

To detachably lock the folder plates in their operative position, a lock plate A22 is attached to the rear end of the bar lIE and projects rearwardly therefrom, being provided at its rear end with a horizontal slot 423 which receives a looking member in the form of an eye bolt 424 that is pivoted to a bracket 425 attached to the side rail I58.

A thumb nut 826 on the bolt 424 engages with the outer face of the lock plate 422 to retain the folder plates in operative position. The lock plate 622 engages with an adjustable abutment in the form of a screw 32'? which is threaded in the bracket 425 and which may be adjusted to increase or decrease the width of the space between the rear ends of the top folder plates and between the rear ends of the folder plates 4I3. The folder plates l i ii can be adjusted by means of the bolts All and slots M8 to position them in parallel relation after angular adjustment of the plates about the hinges 520.

The screws 527 are preferably so adjusted that the space between the folder plates H3 at their rear ends is slightly greater than at their forward ends so that pressure on the ends of the article is gradually increased as the article is moved from the elevator into the discharge run-.-

way. The folder plates M3 have outwardly curved rear edges 42%; which provide a bell mouth for engagement with the forward corners of the article being wrapped as the article is being pushed onto the discharge runway. The adjustments of the nut 42B and abutment screw i321 determine the amount of rearward flare of the folder plates M3. Since some clearance is necessary between the top folder plates sit and the tucker plates Hi8, there is a slight relaxation of pressure on the end of articles being wrapped when the tucker plates are withdrawn. The angular disposition of the folder plates M3 serves to reestablish a pressure corresponding to that applied by the tucker plates and the adjustment regulates the amount of pressure exerted on the ends of the article in the folding and sealing channel.

A pin 429 may be provided on the bracket 425 for engagement in the slot 423 to take the weight of the hinged folder plate off the eye bolts 424. Heaters 326 attached to the folder plates 4- ill and H3 supply heat to the wrapper folds to cause them to adhere together.

As shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 15, the bed of the folding and sealing section D is in the form of a detachably mounted unit and is carried by a frame having side bars 432 attached by bolts 433 to the side members of the frame i, front and rear crossbars 434 and A35 and intermediate crossbars 136. A narrow ribbed bed plate 331 is positioned with its rear edge closely overlying the roller 215 so that it serves as a wax scraper. Forwardly of the plate 431 a transversely ribbed bed plate 438 is mounted and forwardly of the plate 433 there is a longitudinally grooved bed plate Q39. Forwardly of the plate 439 a row of pivoted bottom sealing fingers Mi! are provided for engagement with the bottom of the wrapped articles. Forwardly of the fingers see a bridging plate l ll overlies the rear end of the bottom belt N of the cooling section E. The pivoted sealing fingers 4% are pivoted upon a transverse tubular heater M2 for independent pivotal movements.

Electrical heaters 443 are attached in a suitable manner to the underside of the bed plate 438. Similar heaters 444 are attached to the underside of the bed plate 439. The bed plates 438 and 439, together with the sealing fingers Md and bridging plate Ml, are supported on bars of heat insulating material 4415 attached to the frame crossbars 434, 435 and 436. As shown in Fig. 7, the narrow rear bed plate 437 has a flange 44? attached to the rear crossbar Q35 of the bed supporting frame and, in order to minimize the transfer of heat to the roller 2i5, a strip of insulating material M8 is interposed between the flange Ml and the crossbar 435.

The tubular heater M2 is supported at its ends upon brackets M9 attached to one of the intermediate crossbars 436. As shown in Fig. 19, the brackets etc have upwardly opening bearing recesses 450 which receive the ends of the heater M2, which are held in place by retaining plates i which are flush with end portions of the bed plate 439. The brackets M9 bridge the space between the bed plate 439 and the plate Ml at the opposite side edges of the bed, the brackets having top portions 452 extending to adjacent the plate MI and flush therewith.

The sealing fingers 440 have convex top faces ass that are engageable with the undersides of articles such as bread loaves to press the overlapping edges of the wrapper against the bottom bed plates so as to of the article, while applying heat thereto, to seal the same. Adjacent their forward ends the fingers 440 have downwardly projecting lugs 454 which bear upon the free end portions of leaf springs 455 that are attached to the insulating bar 446 that is attached to the forward crossbar 634 of the bed supporting frame. Downward pressure of articles passing over the convex faces 453 of the fingers causes the fingers to be moved downwardly, deflecting the springs 55%. The downwardly curved forward ends of the fingers M0 underlie the rear edge of the bridging plate Ml against which the forward ends of the fingers are normally held by the spring 456. The forward ends of the fingers 440 have notches 456 to receive the springs 455 when the fingers are moved downwardly.

In order to minimize the transfer of heat from the sealing section to the conveyor belt N forming the bed of the cooling section E, a strip 15i of insulating material is interposed between the top of the springs 455 and the underside of the plate 44 l.

Adjacent opposite side edges thereof the bed plate 438 has longitudinal grooves 458 into which wax melted from wrappers is drained and the grooves 458 are provided with openings 459 to discharge the melted wax. The bed plates are and 439 are spaced apart to provide an air gap and reduce heat conduction when the heaters of one Of the plates are disconnected, the plate having spaced fingers 460 bridging the gap.

Beneath the sealing bed a drip tray ltl provided to catch any wax dripping from the prevent the wax from dripping onto the drape table. The drip tray is detachably supported upon L-shaped studs .82 that are slidably mounted in brackets 463 attached to the front and rear crossbars A13 3 and 535 of the bed supporting frame. Springs 254 acting upon the studs 462 yieldingly clamp the corners of the tray Mil against the bottom of the brack ets 463. The tray can be readily removed for emptying and cleaning by turning the studs 62 at one side of the frame out of engagement with the undersides of the tray.

In order to further limit the heating of the frame and the parts of the mechanism below the discharge runway, the bed sections are narrower than the space between the frames and between the bed sections and the side frame members grills 465 are mounted on the crossbars of the bed supporting frame, the spaces between the bed and side frame members providing ventilation between the bed and side frame members providing ventilation between the bed and drape table to prevent heating of the wrapper web being fed over the drape table, which may be adjusted to a position fairly close to the discharge runway, and the grill provides a convenient support onto which articles can be moved from the folding and sealing section when the folder plates are swung to open position to permit removal of an improperly wrapped article.

The bed of the cooling section E which is formed by the belt conveyor N, which is preferably in the form of a woven wire belt, is also detachably mounted on the frame, being sup-- ported by a cross frame member M56 that is in the form of a wide downwardly facing channel and that is attached to the side members of the frame I by bolts 461. The conveyor N is supported upon longitudinal rods 488 that extend through blocks 469 that are suitably attached by welding, or the like, to the cross memberllefi.

The rods 468 pass through the blocks 469 and are held against endwise movement in the blocks by screws 470. The belt N has a drive pulley M! at its rear end that is driven through the gears H and that is supported by hearing blocks H2 that are secured to the rear ends of the rods 453 by screws 213.

The conveyor N has a front idler pulley tie that is journaled in bearing members M that are slidable on the forward ends of the supporting rods 4%. The forward ends of the rods ids are threaded and receive nuts ill that bear against the rear faces of the bearing members M5 and which may be turned to move the pulley ill i forwardly to tighten the belt N. The bearing members 415 project beyond the end of the belt N and support a hollow refrigerated bed plate are that is attached to the members 315 by screws 419. The belt conveyor N has a bed plate its beneath the top run of the belt that is supported upon blocks AM that are mounted on the rods 468, the blocks 48! being secured in adjusted position on the rods see by means of screws 482. The refrigerated plate ilt is level with the top run of the belt N and wrapped articles are moved across the plate tllil onto a roller bed 83 detachably supported on the bed plate 678. The roller bed has an angle bar lfid extending across its rear end that is provide-ti with vertical slots 335 in its depending vertical flange which engage with bolts see attached to the bed plate M8. The bolt and slot connection between the roller bed G83 and the bed plate all} permits the roller bed to be removed by lift ing it off the bolts. The grill 565 extends past the sealing section and terminates at the rear side of the cross member 566. Forwardly of the grills the spaces between the belt N and side members of the frame I are bridged by aprons 381 that overlie the ends of the cross member it? and are attached thereto.

The side folding and heating plates, together with the side belts P, are attached to and movable laterally with the side rails use which are supported upon the framev I adjacent the front and rear ends thereof. As shown in Fig. 2, shafts tit! and 495m adjacent the front and rear ends of the frame I are provided with right and left screws and serve to simultaneously adjust no side rails and attached parts toward and away from the center line or the machine. The forward ends of the side rails 553 travel with nuts 59! on the front screw shaft and the rear ends thereof travel with nuts itla on the rear screw shaft 49%. The hand-wheel 24 drives the shaft ite through a sprocket chain 492 and the shaft dsiia is driven by a sprocket chain 4 connecting it to the shaft see. As shown in Fig. 25, the front shaft 59:? is journals-d in standards iEl l detachably secured to the cross frame member and alongside the screw shaft 4% there is mounted a weight supporting crossbar tilt having a horizontal top edge upon which rollers 4S5 attached to the bars 253 travel. As best shown in Fig. 26, the bar 4% is attached to flanges ease of the standards 494 by bolts d9? which extend through vertical slots 598 in the flange data. The opposite ends of the bar 595 can be independently adjusted to level the bar by loosening the bolts 39? and adjusting screws 599 carried by the bar $95 which bear against the top edges of the flanges fiil la. The rear screw shaft 295a is journaled in a standard 50!) detachably mounted upon the rear end of the frame 5 and a weight supporting crossbar 495a, forming. a track for 14 rollers 496a on the. nuts arm. is mounted on the standards 500 in a manner similar to the mount ing of the bar 495 on the standards 69%.

The side. rails I58 are. detachably connected to the nuts 4! by means of slotted plates 56! and to the nuts 491a in a similar manner. One of the nuts 49l may be provided with a pointer 502 which travels over a graduated scale 503 on the bar 695 to indicate the adjustment of the side rails 58. All of the Weight of the side rails E58, and of the parts mounted thereon is imposed upon the crossbars 495 and 495a independently of the screw shafts 490. and 498a so that sagging of the shafts and difficulty in turning the same to adjust the side members is avoided.

By detaching the standards 4% and 5% from the frame, the overhead pusher conveyor M, together with the folder plates 4H and ilt and side belts P carried on the side frame members I58, may be removed as a unit. Also, these parts may be assembled on the standards 4&4 and see before mounting on the frame I.

In order to prevent the articles from being lifted off of the bed of the discharge runway by the engagement of the end folder with the slots of the folding plates, and to insure sufficient pressure against the heated bottom plates to effect sealing of the overlapping portions of the wrapper across the bottom of the package, it is desirable to provide a light pressure on the tops of the articles during their passage through the folding anu heating channel. This pressure is exerted through a jointed holcl-down bar that extends longitudinally of the runway centrally thereof. This bar comprises front, rear and intermediate sections 5%, SE and 5&6 which are flexibly connected by means of short links dill. It is desirable that the hold-(loam bar be normally supported in substantially horizontal posi tion and that the pivoted joints connecting the sections permit upward movement of the jointed ends but not downward movement below a horizontal position. To this end, the adjoining ends of sections at each of the joints are provided with two stop plates 59% and Elli) each of which is attached at one end to the top of one of the sections and extends across the joint between the sections, having its opposite end overlying the adjoining section but free from attachment to the said adjoining section. The plates 5% and 5% permit the hold-down to yield in an upward direction at the joints during passage of an articie beneath the bar, and normally hold the sections in alinement in horizontal position as shown in Fig. 27.

A link Sit is connected to the forward end of the forward section 5M and has an elongated vertical slot till in its upper end which receives a pin EH2 on an arm 5% attached to a collar bi l that is pivotally supported upon the forward screw shaft 6%. A standard 556 is attached to the rear end of the section 5% and has an elongated vertical slot 5H that receives a pin EiZa on an arm 5H5 that is attached to a collar that is pivotally supported on the cross s .aft 2 i The pins Elf and iiifia are identical latch pins providing a quick detachable connection for opposits ends of the sectional holddown. As shown in Fig. 30, these pins are carried by the free ends of leaf springs 5E5 attached to the hold-down supporting arms. The collar Elf} has an upwardly extending arm 52% which is connested by extensible link 52! with a clown wardly extending arm 522 on the collar i t. The collar MS has a downwardly extending arm 523 to which is pivotally connected a horizontal rod 524 that is slidably mounted in the standard 500. To the rear of the standard 508 the rod 524 is provided with a handle 525 which can be gripped to move the rod 524 forwardly or rearwardly to raise or lower the hold-down. In order to releasably hold the adjusting rod 524 in adjusted positions, the rod 524 has a notched sleeve 525 that is slidable in the standard 588 and that is engaged with a spring pressed detent 52l which serves to releasably hold the rod 524 in adjusted position.

The rear end of the section 585 of the holddown is curved upwardly as indicated at 528 to guide the article being wrapped into engagement with the under side of the bar. By reason of the rigid connection of the standard H5 to the section 505, thrust of the article on the curved end 528 tends to swing the entire hold-down as a unit in the direction of movement of the article which is crowded under the curved entrance portion 528 into engagement with the under side of the hold-down. The movement of the hold-down due to engagement of the article with the end portion 523 acts to raise the section 595 bodily, swinging the arm 5H3 upwardly, which causes the forward supporting arm M3 to be moved si multaneously in an upward direction, lifting the hold-down bodily. After the article has passed. the rear section 505 the hold-down may drop by gravity as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 17. By adjusting the length of the link 52H the inclination of the jointed bar to the runway may be changed.

It is to be understood that in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, variations and modifications of the specific devices herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a wrapping machine of the type in which the leading end of a web of wrapping material is applied to an article as it is delivered to an elevator and is wrapped about the article during upward movement of the elevator, a discharge runway comprising a horizontal bed having its rear end positioned to receive articles from the elevator and spaced parallel side rails above the bed, a top end folder plate and a bottom end folder plate carried by each rail and disposed end to end, the top end folder plates being positioned over the elevator and the bottom end folder plates being positioned alongside the rear end of said bed, the two folder plates on each side being rigidly connected together, a vertical hinge connecting the forward ends of the bottom end folder plates to the side rail, means for adjustably securing the rear ends of the top folder plates to said rail to vary the spacing of the rear ends of said plates.

2. In a wrapping machine of the type in which the leading end of a web of wrapping material is applied to an article as it is delivered to an elevator and is wrapped about the article during upward movement of the elevator, a discharge runway comprising a horizontal bed having its rear end positioned to receive articles from the elevator and spaced parallel side rails above the bed, bottom end folder plates on opposite sides of said runway forwardly of said elevator, said bottom folder plates being hinged at their forward ends to said rails to swing about vertical axes, a longitudinal bar attached to the upper portion of each of said bottom folder plates and projecting rearwardly past the rear ends thereof, top folder plates attached to said bars rearwardly of said bottom folder plates, laterally adjustable stops limiting the inward movements of the rear ends of said bars, and releasable loci;- ing means for holding said bars against said stops in different positions of angular adjustment with respect to said side rails.

3. In a wrapping machine of the type in which the leading end of a web of wrapping material is applied to an article as it is delivered to an elevator and is wrapped about the article during upward movement of the elevator, a discharge runway comprising a horizontal bed having its rear end positioned to receive articles from the elevator and spaced parallel side rails above the bed, bottom end folder plates on opposite sides of said runway forwardly of said elevator, said loottom folder plates being hinged at their forward ends to said rails to swing about vertical axes, a longitudinal bar attached to the upper portion of each of said bottom folder plates and projecting rearwardly past the rear ends thereof, laterally adjustable stops interposed between the rear ends of said bars and said side rails to limit inward movement of said bars, releasable locking means for holding said bars against said stops in different positions of angular adjustment with respect to said rails, and top folder plates attached to said bars rearwardly of said bottom folder plates, said top folder plates being mounted for lateral angular adjustment on said bars whereby said top folder plates may be secured in parallel relation in different positions of angular adjustment of said bars.

4. In a wrapping machine of the type in which the leading end of a web of wrapping material is applied to an article as it is delivered to an elevator and is wrapped about the article during upward movement of the elevator, a discharge runway comprising a horizontal bed having its rear end positioned to receive articles from the elevator and spaced parallel side rails above the bed, folder plates carried by each rail and disposed end to end, the folder plates on on side being rigidly connected together, a hinge connecting the rigidly connected plates to a side rail to swin laterally outwardly, a laterally adjustable stop for limiting the inward movement of the free end of the rigidly connected folder plates, and means for releasably locking said plates in stop engaging position.

5. In a wrapping machine a frame havin front and back top members with horizontal top edges, crossbars connecting said frames adjacent their top edges, a runway comprising a horizontal bed narrower than the frame and supported on said bars, side rails supported above said bed, folder plates and article guide members carried by said rails, vertical hinges connecting said folder plates to said side rails upon which said plates may swing laterally to afford access to said runway, locking means for releasably holding said plates in operative position, and grills supported in the spaces between the side edges of said bed and the front and back frame members.

6. In a wrapping machine having front and back frame members and a folding and sealing channel between the top portions of said frame members, a rectangular frame detachably secured to said frame members and having spaced crossbars extending across the space between said frame members, heat insulating supports carried by said crossbars, sealing channel bed plates narrower than the space between said frame members. and mounted on said supports, heaters carried by said plates, and grills mounted on said crossbars and bridging the spaces between said plates and frame members.

7. In a wrapping machine having front and back frame members and a folding and sealing channel between the top portions of said frame members, a rectangular frame detachably secured to said frame members and having spaced crossbars extending across the space between said frame members, heat insulating supports carried by said crossbars, sealing channel bed plates narrower than the space between said frame members and mounted on said supports, heaters carried by said plates, and a drip tray detachably secured to said rectangular frame and underlying said bed plates.

8. In a wrapping machine having front and back frame members and a folding and sealing channel between the top portions of said frame members, a rectangular frame detachably secured to said frame members and having spaced crossbars extending across the space between said frame members, heat insulating supports carried by said crossbars, sealing channel bed plates narrower than the space between said frame members and mounted on said supports, drain openings in said plates and drain grooves leading to said openings, and a drip tray detachably secured to said rectangular frame and underlying said drain openings.

9. In a wrapping machine a frame, an article discharge runway having an article supporting bed, spaced crossbars carried by the frame above said bed, side rails mounted above the bed for lateral adjustment and article guide members carried by said side rails, transverse shafts mounted in said frame and each having right and left hand screw portions, said shafts being adjacent and parallel to said crossbars, nuts mounted on said screw portions of the shafts and attached to said side rails, said nuts being supported on said crossbars and receiving the threaded portions of said shafts, and means for adjusting said crossbars vertically.

10. In a wrapping machine a frame, an article discharge runway having an article supporting bed, spaced crossbars carried by the frame above said bed, side rails mounted above the bed for lateral adjustment and article guide members carried by said side rails, transverse shafts mounted in said frame and each having right and left hand screw portions, said shafts being adjacent and parallel to said crossbars, nuts mounted on said screw portions of the shafts and attached to said side rails, said nuts being supported on said crossbars and receiving the threaded portions of said shafts, a pointer carried by one of said nuts and overlying a side face of the crossbar upon which the nut is supported, and a graduated scale on said side face for indicating the adjustment of said side rails.

11. In a wrapping machine having front and back frame members provided with substantially horizontal top edges and a folding and sealing channel between the top portions of said frame members, horizontal cross bars extending across the space between said frame members, heat insulating supports carried by said crossbars, a sealing channel bed plate narrower than the space between said frame members and mounted on said supports, a heater carried by said plate, and grills carried by said crossbars and bridging the spaces between said plate and the top edges of said frame members.

12. In a wrapping machine having front and back frame members provided with substantially horizontal top edges and a folding and sealing channel between the top portions of said frame members, a rectangular frame detachably secured to said frame members and extending across the space between the top portions thereof, heat insulating supports carried by said frame, a sealing channel bed plate mounted on said supports, said plate being narrower than the space between said frame members and spaced from each frame member, a heater carried by said plate, and grills mounted on said frame and bridging the spaces between said plate and the top edges of said frame members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,313,418 Reed Aug. 19, 1919 1,319,724 Pelton Oct. 28, 1919 1,586,375 Metcalf May 25, 1926 2,320,362 Jensen June 1, 1943 2,360,910 Tone Oct. 24, 1944 2,354,989 Fusco Aug. 1, 1944 

